The heads of the housing (regulation of approved housing bodies) Bill were approved in September 2015 and the pre-legislative scrutiny was completed in February 2016. There are over 6,500 people employed in housing bodies. Last year the housing bodies built 669 houses, while local authorities built 430 in the past 18 months. With the appointment of an independent regulator, does this legislation envisage proper synergies between the local authority housing departments and these bodies? There are 547 such bodies and, according to a reply I received to a parliamentary question, 13 of them are employing over 6,500 people. This has become an industry. I have thought long and hard about the problems with housing over my 25 years in local government. If we had 6,500 people working together with the diminished number of employees in the local authorities, many of the problems we have with housing would not exist.

What is the question?

Will the regulator provided for in the legislation be able to provide proper links between the local authorities and the housing organisations to ensure they are all working to deliver the houses that are required?

What is the response to the question?

I wish to finish, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, in the spirit of Christmas. Nobody spoke about the vacant houses around this country-----

Santa will not be coming to some of your colleagues.

-----prior to my election to the Dáil. Now everybody is talking about them.

That is not true.

It was talked about for 25 years but nothing was done about it.

Please, Deputy. The Tánaiste should focus on the simple question on the independent regulator.

I cannot discuss the content of that legislation. However, there is a commitment to deliver new legislation, and much work has been done on it, to provide for standards and a proper register for approved housing bodies, AHBs. It is important to say-----

If we are going to expand the debate, I will end it in three minutes. Deputies can blame their colleagues and the Ministers, not me.

It is a short comment.

No, I am being very fair. That is my problem, Tánaiste.

There is a role for local authorities and AHBs in delivering social housing. Many fantastic projects have been concluded in the last number of years through good AHBs. The legislation being brought forward is about standardisation and ensuring the AHB sector is properly regulated.